The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mr Mohammed Babandede, says the service is planning to establish Migration Institution for West African countries.
Babandede made this known at a meeting with the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abubakar Rasheed in Abuja on Thursday.
He said that the service was partnering with the commission to establish the institute which would be situated in Toga, Kebbi in Nigeria.
He said that the institute would be affiliated to universities in Nigeria and few West African countries.
“One thing we have to do if we want to develop our country is to develop our intellectual capacity.”
“Our idea to reform the NIS is with the support from the NUC on the roadmap to start the migration institute.”
“We are envisaging Migration Institution for West African countries as Nigeria Immigration is committed to tackling the challenges of migration management in the West Africa,” he said.
Babandede said that the institute would check migration issues and assist all neighbouring countries including French speaking nations in tackling their migration challenges.
“This institution that will be situated in Toga, Kebbi, Nigeria, will be an institution that will be affiliated to universities.”
“We realise that for us to succeed on the plan, we have to partner with the NUC for guidelines so that we can have an institution that will develop capacity for migration challenges,” he added.
The NIS boss emphasised that the service needed to engage intellectuals to develop officers in specific terms to effectively discharge their duties.
“We have come to the National Universities Commission to see how we can engage intellectuals to develop our officers.”
“If we do this and intellectuals come in, they will train millions of Nigeria and it will automatically develop Nigeria.”
Responding, Rasheed said the NUC and NIS would work together to promote migration studies in Nigeria and for the whole of West Africa.
He emphasised that the commission would give intellectual shape to the institute and help create high standard dimension that will extend the institute to the West African sub-region.
On the centrality of migration in the world affair today, he said that many governments of the world fell and rose because of migration issues.
“Our role is to work closely with the NIS to see to the take off of the proposed West African institute for migration management studies,” the executive secretary said.
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